Near Bay City in Matagorda County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Old Hawley Cemetery

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2018

1. Old Hawley Cemetery Marker

Inscription.
Known 1838-1899 as Deming's Bridge Cemetery. Second post office in Matagorda County was located nearby in 1858.

Two acres donated by Emelius Savage and his son Norman for the cemetery and Tres Palacios Baptist Church, founded 1852. More land given by Jonathan E. Pierce, who in 1900 named area Hawley, honoring United States senator Robert Bradley Hawley.

Buried here are the brothers Jonathan E. and Abel H. ("Shang") Pierce and many other famous early cattlemen; also, more than 50 veterans of Civil War and all U.S. wars since 1865.

Erected 1967 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 3741.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1838.

Location. 28° 53.883′ N, 96° 10.738′ W. Marker is near Bay City, Texas, in Matagorda County. It is at the intersection of Hawley Cemetery Road (State Highway 35) and Hawley Cemetery Road (County Highway 437), on the right when traveling south on Hawley Cemetery Road. Marker is located just off the highway, at the northwest corner of the intersection.

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Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Hawley Cemetery Rd, Bay City TX 77414, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce (a few steps from this marker); William Walter “Pudge” Heffelfinger (within shouting distance of this marker); Deming’s Bridge Community (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hawley Cemetery (about 600 feet away); Grimes Cemetery (approx. 2.8 miles away); Masonic Lodge #411 (approx. 3 miles away); Blessing Library Association (approx. 3.1 miles away); Blessing State Bank (approx. 3.2 miles away).

Also see . . . Hawley, Texas (A Texas Ghost Town).
Once known as Deming’s Bridge,

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2018

2. Old Hawley Cemetery Marker

This is a photo of the marker in its prior environs.

after Edwin A. Deming, who constructed a crude bridge over the Tres Palacios River in 1857, the community went unnamed until a post office opened in 1858 – with Deming as postmaster. Abel “Shanghai” Pierce and his brother Jonathan had their ranch headquarters just south of the bridge around the time of the Civil War. By the mid 1880s, Deming’s Bridge had a thriving population of 300 which grew to 500 by the early 1890s. Jonathan Pierce had taken over as postmaster for the town by this time and when his son Abel received an appointment in the Navy, Pierce repaid the kindness of his son’s benefactor by renaming the town in his honor. Robert Bradley Hawley was the namesake, although the local school retained the name of Deming’s Bridge. In 1903 the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway was advancing across the prairie and Jon Pierce donated land to insure the railroad would pass through the region. The town of Blessing appeared that year and Hawley’s post office and Masonic Lodge moved to the new town, cutting Hawley loose to become an eventual ghost town. (Submitted on June 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Dave W, January 31, 2026

3. Old Hawley Cemetery Marker

Hawley Cemetery Road (<i>view from near marker; Hawley Cemetery is 1 mile north on this road</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2018

4. Hawley Cemetery Road (view from near marker; Hawley Cemetery is 1 mile north on this road)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,901 times since then and 179 times this year. Last updated on February 11, 2026, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. submitted on February 11, 2026, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. 4. submitted on June 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.